Updates
Update, 7 May
Published: 07 May 2020
Volunteers needed for COVID-19 antibody study
A research study has begun recruitment to investigate the immune response in health care workers after recovery from an illness consistent with COVID-19.
The aim is to finding a marker that can reliably identify people that have been exposed to the virus.
Anyone who takes part will be asked for a blood and saliva sample and asked about their illness and general health.
If you are aged 18+, have had to self-isolate due to yourself or a family member having suffered symptoms of COVID-19 and would be willing to take part, then please fill out the short registration form on the intranet or email the study team:
Email: COCOResearch@uhb.nhs.uk
More information can also be found here:
The study began recruitment in April, and will continue recruitment until 1,000 members of staff have taken part.
The results and samples will be vitally important for analysing the immune response in individuals that have recovered from COVID-19 and evaluating the accuracy of antibody tests and other tests that are being developed.
Patient handover communication
Whenever a patient is transferred between wards, departments and hospitals, their infectious status (suspected or confirmed) must be clearly communicated. Failure to do so can result in transmission of the infection to staff and patients.
If the patient is being transferred to another clinical area, the following must be completed:
- Verbal handover prior to transfer
- The COVID-19 status must be clearly communicated (e.g. suspected, confirmed or negative for COVID-19) and documented in the patient's medical notes
- Isolation requirements are stated, to ensure the area is ready before arrival of the patient
- Treatment plans are documented and communicated so that they can be implemented appropriately and safely, including swabs undertaken/to be obtained, medication administered/pending and oxygen requirements
- The registered nurse/practitioner transferring the patient must complete the "Inpatient SBART Transfer Checklist". On arrival, this must be filed in the patient's medical records
- Appropriate documentation must be used for patients transferred out of the critical care areas
The Infection Prevention and Control Team (IPCT) is available to help in assessing the risks of transfer and will advise on precautions required to affect a safe transfer.
Please see the relevant patient safety notice under "Downloads".
For further information, please contact Karen Barber, Safety Learning Manager:
Email: Karen.Barber@uhb.nhs.uk
Staff testing update
Testing is available for any member of staff who is currently absent from work due to personally experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or who is self-isolating due to a member of their household displaying symptoms.
The purpose of the test is to enable you to return to work as quickly and safely as possible, providing the test result is negative and you are feeling well, or if positive after the infection-control isolation period and when you are feeling well. Testing will help reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading, particularly to vulnerable groups.
For more information, please see the "Staff testing" page.
An updated "frequently asked questions" list is also available.
Support for patients with learning disabilities or autism
A "grab and go" guide has been designed to support patients with learning disabilities or autism who may have to come into hospital because of COVID-19.
The guide has been designed in partnership with people with learning disabilities, families and nurses, and it gives the information that doctors and nurses will need if patients come into hospital because of COVID-19 and, for example, are struggling to breathe.
It is not a replacement for the usual detailed hospital passports and patients, or their families and carers, should be encouraged to complete this and bring it with them to hospital in cases of COVID-like presentation.
Medications with different packaging and labelling
In order to meet the demand for medicines during the emergency period relating to COVID-19, our hospital sites may need to procure medicines with different packaging and labelling.
Healthcare professionals may also be working in unfamiliar areas, with different levels of experience with these medicines.
A poster is available under "Downloads" which can be printed and used locally by teams to help raise awareness and highlight the need for extra vigilance during this time.
Pharmacy departments will continue to inform you of any drug shortages and, where appropriate, their alternatives.
Controlled drug ordering - electronic requisitions
On 2 April the Trust introduced a temporary electronic controlled drug ordering system, which has been well received by staff due to the operational and infection prevention and control benefits.
Further guidance has been developed to support staff with regards to the receipt and record-keeping of controlled drugs to ensure compliance with Trust procedure and legislation.
For further information, please see the guide under "Downloads".
Yellow Card reporting for healthcare products
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has launched a dedicated Yellow Card reporting site for healthcare products that are used in Coronavirus (COVID-19) treatment to be easily reported:
Healthcare professionals are asked to report all suspected side effects to medicines or medical device adverse incidents which are related to COVID-19 treatment. This also includes medicines that patients and healthcare professionals are using off-label to treat COVID-19. Reporting for clinical trials should be in line with the trial protocols.
Reporting will enable the MHRA to rapidly identify new and emerging side effects and medical device issues which may not have been previously known about. This includes any medicines taken by patients to manage long-term, or pre-existing conditions that may influence the disease or have any potential interactions. More information from the MHRA is available under "Downloads".
Cyber security awareness
Cyber security experts in the UK and across the world are reporting an increase in cyber crime.
Healthcare organisations are specifically being targeted, but not to the exclusion of others. New cases of double exploitation have been seen where data is first stolen and then access to it blocked, followed by ransom demands.
Be extra careful with any emails with attachments. If there is anything suspicious about the email, then don’t do anything with it and report it to the IT Service Desk. Malicious emails usually have one or more tell-tale signs:
- The sender’s details are odd, misspelled in some way or it implies its from an organisation but is from a public email service (such as @gmail.com)
- The email is badly written with grammatical (not spelling) mistakes
- It has attachments or links within it
- It has typical scam traits, such as exceptional offers that are time limited
Video meetings are the new normal for some people and are another channel for attackers and intruders looking to steal or disrupt the proceedings or simply give offence.
Good practice is to keep the meeting invitation as private as possible and if the content is especially sensitive, to prevent unwanted guests by protecting it with a PIN (sent separately to the invite). Large meetings make it difficult to spot and intruder, so the usual roll call applies.
Never share your password with anyone and have different passwords for each different account you have, inside and outside of UHB.
Staff offer - Thursday 7 May only
Any NHS member of staff shopping with WH Smith today (Thursday 7 May) will be entitled to a free bottle of Lipton Ice Tea with any purchase they make.
All you need to do is to show your staff ID to our store team on a manned till, or scan the barcode on a 20% discount card on the self checkout till, which will trigger the promotion.